ADAMS TOWNSHIP — Hillsboro held off a furious Clinton-Massie comeback Friday to notch a 68-64 South Central Ohio League victory at the Lebanon Road gym.
The Indians (2-1, 1-1) led 59-45 with 5:10 left in the contest after a 19-5 run obliterated the last of 10 ties and 14 lead changes.
The Falcons (0-2, 0-2) then charged back with 12 straight points. Massie’s Thomas Myers, who led all Falcons with 18, hit a free throw and a bucket. Griffin Laake and Noah Greathouse followed with threes. Myers drew a charge that led to Trey Uetrecht’s free throw. Daulton Wolfe then found Greathouse to cap the run and pull CM within 59-57 with 2:00 left in the game.
The Falcons trailed just 63-62 with 36.6 seconds left on a Myers old-fashioned three-point play.
After a pair of Hillsboro free throws made it 65-62, Massie committed a turnover. Marshall Ward then hit one of two free throws with 18.1 seconds to go in the game.
Myers answered with a pair of free throws 10 seconds later.
After another CM turnover, Ethan Watson, making his first varsity start, sank the final two of his game-high 20 points to seal the game.
“We just got outworked tonight. Our defense was pitiful. We didn’t follow the scouting report well,” CM head coach Todd Cook said. “They got all kinds of layups. I don’t know how many missed opportunities we had at the basket, but we had tons.”
Phillip Mycroft joined Watson in double-figures for the Indians with 17 points.
Trey Uetrecht chipped in with 12 for the Falcons.
SUMMARY
December 9, 2016
@Lebanon Road Gym
Hillsboro 68 Clinton-Massie 64
H 11.20.16.21…..68
C 11.20.12.21…..64
(68) HILLSBORO (fg-ft-tp) Watson 7-4-20, Ward 1-3-5, Reed 1-1-3, Mycroft 7-3-17, Keets 4-4-12, Gallimore 0-0-0, Bell 2-3-9, Anderson 1-0-2. Total 23-18-68. 3-point goals: 4 (Bell 2, Watson 2). FTM-FTA 18-28, 64 percent.
(64) CLINTON-MASSIE (fg-ft-tp) Chowning 1-2-5, Cook 4-0-9, Myers 6-6-18, Uetrecht 5-2-12, Wolfe 0-6-6, Demler 1-0-3, Greathouse 2-1-6, Laake 1-0-3, Leforge 0-2-2. Total 20-19-64. 3-point goals: 5 (Chowning, Cook, Demler, Greathouse, Laake). FTM-FTA 19-25, 76 percent.